Being a person who reads a great deal, it is obvious to me that the world has embarked upon the next phase of open rebellion against God. Not only has God’s word been relegated to the status of mere stories and fables by the secular media, but His children are under the most intense mental and physical persecution since the Inquisition.

If scripture is to be believed, and of course I do believe every word of it, what we are witnessing is just the beginning of what will eventually turn into The Great Tribulation that Jesus prophesied about in Matthew 24. [1]

Additionally, Paul told the church of the Thessalonians that before the second coming of Jesus, there would be a great falling away and the man of sin would be revealed. Meaning, the people of God would fall away from the truth, giving heed to seducing spirits and doctrines of devils, and the Anti-Christ would then come on the scene. [2]

What must our reaction be to these current and soon coming events? Well, I believe we should take the approach of the prophet Daniel, who as a young man was taken away captive along with the rest of Israel and remained in a strange land for 70 long years. [3]

Because Daniel had what the Bible refers to as an “excellent spirit”, God exalted him above his contemporaries and placed him in a very high level position within the government of Darius, king of Persia.

Jealous of his favor with the king, his fellow leaders plotted against him, hoping to trip him up in the manner in which he served the Lord. Here is where it gets really interesting. When Daniel knew that the trap had been set, what was his reaction?

He went home, opened his windows, and prayed toward Jerusalem three times a day just as he had done every other day. In other words, Daniel refused to become alarmed at the king’s decree, even though he knew that by not abiding by it, he could be put to death.

Because he possessed a different spirit, or more accurately because he was filled with the Spirit of God, he refused to be conformed to the world around him. He was determined to live his life God’s way, and God blessed him because of it.

As we see spiritual darkness covering our nation, and indeed the entire world, we must be ready to answer the call to obey God rather than man, just as Daniel did. We must purpose in our hearts that we will not bow down to the whims of a society that has forsaken God.

In the near future, there can be no doubt that new laws will be enacted to further quench the work of God. Existing laws will be changed to suit the Anti-Christ agenda that is alive and well upon this planet. All of this will leave God’s people with a decision to make. [4]

Will we conform to a society that is morally bankrupt and spiritually dead, or will we hold fast to God who will see us through these troubled times?

One thing is for certain, and that is that with God’s help, I will cling to the Savior who died for me upon The Old Rugged Cross. With His help, I will be a Daniel in this hostile world that we live in.

Now when Daniel knew that the writing was signed, he went home. And in his upper room, with his windows open toward Jerusalem, he knelt down on his knees three times that day, and prayed and gave thanks before his God, as was his custom since early days. Daniel 6:10 NKJV

If you spend any time around Evangelical churches I’m sure you’ve heard the above expression. Often when someone will ask “how are you?”, the automatic response is “I’m blessed and highly favored”.

The meaning of this, of course, is that the person believes that God is blessing their life because He has chosen them to receive a special blessing. These days, more often than not, such beliefs center on the financial aspects of one’s life, rather than on spiritual growth or maturity.

Now, to be perfectly honest I do not care for the expression “blessed and highly favored”. This is because it appears to elevate one over another, or to indicate that God, who loves us all the same through Christ, actually prefers one of us over another of His children. A careful study of scripture reveals that we are all the same in Christ (Gal. 3:28).

Now having said all of this, I would like to state that if it were possible for a man to be “blessed and highly favored”, I would be that man. Speaking strictly from a relational viewpoint, I am indeed “blessed and highly favored”. Let me explain.

Less than 48 hours ago I went into the hospital for a procedure, one that I had gone through about seventeen years ago. Only when the procedure had been completed was I made aware of just how serious my condition was, and that my life had just been saved.

Of course, my immediate reaction was one of sincere gratitude to God for sparing my life. This is a very humbling experience, to say the least, and I will not stop giving thanks to Him for such a blessing as this.

However, as a famous announcer used to say, there is more to the story. I understand that God saved my life, and many prayers went up beforehand for the Dr.’s and Staff that would be taking care of me. But there was an Angel who never left me that I want to tell you about.

From the moment I went into the hospital, my precious wife never left my side except for the time I was undergoing the procedure. She stayed with me through it all, even spending the night with me, refusing to leave my side.

What a contrast we must have appeared to be to the Staff at the hospital! Early in the morning while being prepped and all that goers on prior to, I was stationed in a holding area with several other patients. You know the type, the cubicles that are enclosed by a curtain where you can hear everything being said by everyone there!

To my right was a couple that did nothing but complain. The patient complained about how long she had to wait, how long the procedure would take, how long before she could go home, how bad she needed to go to the bathroom. Her husband had apparently came in later than she thought he should have, so she blasted him for being late, reading a book, checking phone messages, you name it!

Yet there was my wife, being the calming influence I so desperately needed. Touching my arm or holding my hand, speaking only words of comfort and encouragement. There are no words to describe what she meant to me at that time.

We waited for three hours for the nurse to come and take me away, and not one time would she leave my side. Tell me, especially you men who happen to be reading this: how often do you hear of such faithfulness?

After I was taken to my room the first person there was my wife, along with my incredible pastor. From that moment on she left me one time for maybe three minutes to use the restroom. I implored her to go home and get some rest, but she was having none of it.

She ate dinner with me, sat as close as she could to me, and let me know how much she loved me. She tried to sleep on the “bed” they brought in for her but she wasn’t able. As I was awake most of the night, she stayed there by my side to comfort me. In a cold, hard chair.

As a matter of fact, the nurses only came in when it was time to do a procedure on me, otherwise they stayed away. I’m sure they realized I was in better hands with my dear wife!

There is no way I could tell you all that she did for me, as sometimes the proper words fail to come, even for a talker like me. All I know is this: I am blessed and highly favored to have her as my wife.

I could never have known that one day over 20 years ago when I first met her, that our love could have grown into what it has become. These aren’t mere words of platitude when I say this, but it is a fact that I do not deserve such a wife as I have been blessed with.

So, while this post hasn’t been especially “religious” or enlightening, I wanted to express to everyone that being “blessed and highly favored” means so much more than the type of car you drive, or how high the limit is on your credit card.

“What a difference a day can make”.I’ve heard that remark so many times through the years.

Imagine the difference then that a few years can make. That’s what I was thinking the other day as I read several chapters in the book of Job. As I began reading it dawned on me that I had neglected this Old Testament book for quite some time.

I always loved it’s beautiful descriptors of the battle of “good vs.evil”,Satan vs. God. It always seemed that no matter how hard Satan tried to discredit God,the faithfulness of God always prevailed.It was great to reconnect with this old,familiar book.

Now,for those of you who are not familiar with the book of Job,it is often regarded as one of the greatest studies of the human response to suffering.More importantly,it is a study of trust.If the reader will carefully study the book of Job,he or she will see the subject of trust come to the forefront as Job ultimately concludes that God is just and righteous.

Many people who read this book quickly form the opinion that God is not fair,that He was unjust in allowing an upright man such as Job to suffer. This is understandable, considering the Biblical description of Job is as a man that was “pure and upright,and one who feared God and turned away from evil”.

I believed that myself,long ago. Just like I believed that God was not fair because He refused to allow Moses to enter the promised land because of one mistake. Boy did I ever struggle with that one!

Just like I believed that God was not fair when tragedy struck my own life. Just like you may be thinking right now concerning a situation you are dealing with. We all want to shout aloud “how can a God of love allow this to happen” at times,don’t we?

Can I tell you something that time has taught me about the “fairness” of God?

Unlike God,we lack the ability to see the future. The hear and now is our dwelling place,and we are forced to deal with life as it comes. That includes those things we identify as unfair.

Just like Job,we cannot see the end of the trial while we are in the midst of it. But He can,which is why we must learn to be slower to question the “fairness” of God. Remember,God always has a plan where you are concerned. And that includes the trials you go through. Coincidence is not in His vocabulary.

2 Count it all joy, my brothers, when you meet trials of various kinds, 3 for you know that the testing of your faith produces steadfastness. 4 And let steadfastness have its full effect, that you may be perfect and complete, lacking in nothing. (James 1:2-4 ESV)

The perspective of time has taught me the deeper meaning of this present life being a place of preparation for the eternal one that is to come. Time has taught me that God knew all along what he was doing when he permitted Job to be attacked by Satan,that he knew what he was doing when he refused to allow Moses to enter into the promised land.

That he knew all along what he was doing when he allowed me to walk through the fire,instead of quenching it first.

Nothing takes God by surprise. Nothing.

The perspective of time has taught me to trust God. To trust the refining process that all of us are going through. To trust that while I may not understand the things that have happened to me,or the things I am presently enduring,He does.

To a child of God,this is enough. If we’re faithful,the perspective of time will teach us this principle.

Oftentimes we are plagued with various thoughts that lead to discouragement.Thoughts that if left unchecked can also cause us to question God’s faithfulness.Or cause us to wonder if there really is Someone out there that cares for us.

Did you know that one of the greatest heroes of the Bible was a man often consumed with nagging doubts and insecurities?That he was better acquainted with the agony of defeat than the thrill of victory?

The Psalmist of Israel,King David, knew his share of battlefield victories and defeats.Starting as a young man slinging a stone at a Philistine giant, David became a man of war the moment Goliath fell to the ground.From that day forward,whether leading a victorious charge as Israel’s commanding general or losing the battle of his life on a very different type of battlefield,David knew only too well the ups and downs of warfare.

All of us,in looking over our own battlefields,see both victory and defeat,as well as the high costs associated with them.None of us can stake a claim as remaining unscathed in battle,for we have been wounded and beaten,battered and bruised,and if we’re being totally honest;left for dead.Many times.

Just as David suffered bouts of depression and insecurity,so do you and I.It’s in our DNA.And it’s called being human. And every last one of us suffers from it.

But thanks be unto God,the story doesn’t end there!

This morning I was reading a Psalm of David that deals with this subject matter. In this Psalm,138,David acknowledges God’s unfailing love and faithfulness.Do you ever need to hear that God’s love is unfailing,or that He alone is faithful? I know I do. Every day.

This Psalm is beautiful in it’s simplicity and tenderness as David reminds us that the Lord cares for the humble and truly does hear us when we pray.Yes,we may be tempted to believe that God doesn’t care,but the humble are close to His heart.

Finally,David says what all of us need to be reminded of from time to time, that the Lord will work out his plans for our lives.Beloved,God is faithful.

When the world is spinning out of control and evil seems to have the upper hand,be strong and know that God Almighty is working out his plan for your life.Please read that again.The God of heaven has a plan for you and He is even now working it out.

Yes,we may question that from time to time.We may lose a battle now and then(but never the war!). Insecurities? Got ’em. Scars from the battle? Plenty and then some. Surrounded by troubles? On every side.

None of that matters though,because the promises of God are backed by the honor of His name.And if that were not enough for you…He will never abandon you because HE MADE YOU! You are His and belong to Him!

Psalm 138

1 I give you thanks, O lord, with all my heart;

I will sing your praises before the gods.

2 I bow before your holy Temple as I worship.

I praise your name for your unfailing love and faithfulness;

for your promises are backed

by all the honor of your name.

3 As soon as I pray, you answer me;

you encourage me by giving me strength.

4 Every king in all the earth will thank you, lord,

for all of them will hear your words.

5 Yes, they will sing about the lord’s ways,

for the glory of the lord is very great.

6 Though the lord is great, he cares for the humble,

but he keeps his distance from the proud.

7 Though I am surrounded by troubles,

you will protect me from the anger of my enemies.

You reach out your hand,

and the power of your right hand saves me.

8 The lord will work out his plans for my life—

for your faithful love, O lord, endures forever.

Don’t abandon me, for you made me.

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